The hypertext novel is known for its puzzle-like quality because it is read in multiple chunks as the hyperlinks take readers into another space with a new section of text. It becomes the reader’s role to piece the story together into a narrative that makes sense. Schneider (2005) explains that the “non-linearity or non-sequentiality, which
Looking at examples of hypertext books there are only a handful that have been critically examined. Paul Hackman notes, “fifteen years after the first generation of hypertext novels emerged, hypertext literature remains on the fringe of literary studies” (2011, p. 86). One of the reasons for the lack of hypertext fiction novels, besides the issues
The new digital medium of hypertext fiction requires a narrative form because of its non-linear design. In regards to this issue Landow (1992) writes, “either one simply cannot write hypertext fiction […] or else Aristotelian definitions and descriptions of plot do not apply to stories read and written within a hypertext environment” (p. 101). The
It is now evident that the reason why hypertext fiction is not more prominent with the increased publishing of e-books is that there are some major inhibiting factors, which are grounded in tradition. The first inhibitor of innovative hypertext books is that readers are accustomed to and enjoy the phenomenological experience of reading a print
When Gutenberg invented the printing press, there was a publishing revolution in the Industrial Age. There were changes in the format of books: from handwritten to machine printed; changes in distribution: as a much greater number of copies were available to the public; and changes in publishing: where multiple newspapers and pulp fiction magazines were founded. Now
